School Chooser

Cherry Oak School

Special · ages 3-11MixedCouncil112 pupilsNurseryBirmingham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance92.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families57%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull112 pupils, 111 places
Pupils per teacher8.8School workforce census

Cherry Oak School is a council special school in Birmingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 112 pupils, 1 more than it has places for. About 57 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

60 Frederick Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6PB0121 464 2037cherryoak.bham.sch.ukMr Gary Coffey executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

18 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017BirminghamEngland
Pupils tested18137101215
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score83.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score87.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score95.0106.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.7+0.8-3.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.2-0.4-5.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Birmingham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll112Census January 2026
Places111101% full
Pupils from low-income families57%57% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English13%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%112 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)63%£106,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls76 / 36
White British pupils53%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Birmingham with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (60), Autistic spectrum disorder (43), Severe learning difficulty (8), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll112112114111112110
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals57%63%61%60%55%58%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13%13%15%14%18%23%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school25.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.0%8.0%7.0%9.0%8.1%5.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%6.1%5.8%7.2%7.6%5.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.3%1.8%1.2%1.7%0.5%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence25.2%26.4%23.6%24.8%16.4%16.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.01.80.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers12.8full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher8.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants24.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,605
Teachers who left in the year46%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.52024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£24,941England £32,258. Total £2.8m
Income per pupil£28,978England £32,367. Total £3.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£6,719England £11,930
Money in reserve34%A lot put by: £1.1m, £9,854 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£452kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£24,941spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,07612 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate140 per 1,000 people54% higher than the England average
Typical house price£235,000Birmingham

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England230 m413Good 202288Compare
Water Mill Primary SchoolCouncil610 m205Report card 202650Compare
The University of Birmingham SchoolFree school670 m1,188Good 202345Compare
Selly Oak Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school700 m53Outstanding 2023Compare
Selly Oak Trust SchoolFoundation special school710 m400Good 2022Compare
Tiverton AcademyAcademy730 m202No overall grade 202471Compare
Fircroft College of Adult EducationFurther education870 mNot inspectedCompare
Maple House SchoolIndependent0.7 miles89Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Cherry Oak School a good school?

Cherry Oak School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2024.

What is Cherry Oak School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Cherry Oak School good at its last full inspection on 5 March 2024.

How good are Cherry Oak School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Cherry Oak School have?

112 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 111 places, so it is 101% full.

What is attendance like at Cherry Oak School?

Pupils were in school 92.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Cherry Oak School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
60 Frederick Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6PB
Telephone
0121 464 2037
Website
www.cherryoak.bham.sch.uk
Executive Headteacher
Mr Gary Coffey
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Birmingham
Ward
Weoley & Selly Oak
Constituency
Birmingham Selly Oak
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
103626 · LAESTAB 3307051 · UKPRN 10077033

Where these figures come from